The head of studies and planning for transportation and traffic in Tehran Municipality says constructing more highways is not the solution to the capital’s traffic problems but rather the public transport system needs to be overhauled.
Amir Rouhi said as long as the people continue to use their cars in urban travel, no number of highways will suffice to resolve the capital’s traffic problems.
Increasing the number of highways only adds to the traffic congestion as this invites people to bring out their personal cars, he said quoted by MNA.
He emphasized the necessity of travel demand management (TDM) and said unnecessary commuting in the city can be avoided through expansion of electronic services to citizens.
Redistribution
TDM is the application of strategies and policies to reduce travel demand, specifically that of single-occupancy private vehicles, or to redistribute this demand in space or in time.
Designing a comprehensive public transport system would lead to optimized traffic indices and a reduction in number and length of the trips throughout the city, noted Rouhi.
He further said that all private as well as government employees should try to use a unified system of public transport rather than personal automobiles, particularly in the morning rush hour - 7:00 to 8:00 AM.
He pointed to carpooling as an efficient way to properly manage the travel demand. Carpooling (also car-sharing, ride-sharing, lift-sharing and covoiturage), is the sharing of car journeys by more than one person. People living in the same area or traveling to the same destination can share cars.
By encouraging more people to use one vehicle, carpooling reduces each person’s travel costs such as fuel costs, tolls, and the stress of driving. Carpooling is seen as a more environmentally friendly and sustainable way to travel.
